It is well understood in the art of computer document publishing that different software manufacturers adopt different formatting standards in compiling document files. This presents a problem in generating document files that are compatible with multiple word processing packages. Software manufacturers have addressed this problem in recent years by releasing new versions of their word processor applications that can (a) receive files in a foreign format and convert them into the native format for that application, and (b) save completed work in a file format acceptable and readable by one or more specific foreign applications. Not all software manufacturers offer receipt and saving capability for documents in all foreign formats, however, and of course, not all conversions are done the same way by different manufacturers. Thus, cross-application compatibility is far from universal and predictable.
A further problem presents itself in the art when a physical document is being scanned into a word processor-readable computer file by a scanner. Optical character reading ("OCR") software may prepare the scanned-in software for a subsequent word processing, but the user may not know ahead of time which format to select in instructing the OCR software to prepare a document file. Alternatively, the user may prefer not to select a word processor-specific format ahead of time at all, if she expects the file to be destined to be received by many word processor types.
The typical solution is for the user to instruct the OCR software to save the document in one of the "universally-read" file types known in the art, such as Microsoft's Rich Text Format (RTF). As will be discussed, however, use of quotes in describing these file types as "universally-read" is appropriate in view of the fact that there are still problems accepting these files universally among different word processors.
Another alternative for the user is to save the applications document in Adobe's "pdf" format (standing for "portable document format"). The drawbacks with this alternative, however, are that (a) a special viewer, albeit freely obtainable, is required to read and view the document, and (b) the document may not be edited once it is read and displayed by the viewer. Thus, "pdf" documents are useful primarily for electronic distribution of documents in a read-only format, where the target audience is likely to have or be able to easily obtain, the correct viewing software.
Returning, then, to the problem of generating document files that may universally received by various manufacturers' word processing applications, the option perhaps most often chosen by users is to save the document in Microsoft's RTF. RTF is typical of "universally-readable" document file formats in that it was designed to address the compatibility problems described above. As noted, however, RTF is also typical of its genre in that it still is not as "universal" as a user might hope for. Experience has shown, for example, that in some popular word processing applications, a perfectly legal RTF file will show as a blank. In others, the original page layout will become lost or disfigured. Some legal RTF files have even been known to cause word processor applications to crash.
Clearly, RTF files read as blank, or causing the word processor to crash, are unacceptable. Disfigured page layouts from the original could in theory be tolerated, but of course this means that the layouts then have to be cleaned up and restored when received in the destination word processor application. This is an unnecessary chore, and may be difficult to do if the originally-created page layouts are not known. Further, it defeats the purpose of setting up an originally-organized page layout if this layout is lost or disfigured by a word processor's document file opening protocols operating on a supposedly "universal" document file format.
There is therefore a need in the art to perfect the "universal" compatibility of document file formats such as RTF so as to make them more truly universally compatible with popular word processor applications. This will then enable publishers to create document files, either by scanning or by original creation, in a format that will be seamlessly accepted for further editing by many other word processors without the document creator having to know in advance which word processor type is likely to be used.